Rocky De La Fuente 2016 presidential campaign explained

Committee:Rocky 2016 LLC
Cand Id:C00588426
Fec Date:9/30/2016[1]
Headquarters:San Diego, California
Key People:Seven Wendroff (campaign treasurer)
Receipts:7,351,270
Slogan:We The People
Homepage:rocky2016.com
(archived - November 7, 2016)
Status:Lost election: November 8, 2016

Rocky De La Fuente ran a third-party campaign for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election. De La Fuente had sought the Democratic Party's nomination during their presidential primaries. De La Fuente did not win any delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, but he came in fourth by total votes received. De La Fuente founded the American Delta Party and ran as its presidential nominee with running mate Michael Steinberg. He was also the presidential nominee of the Reform Party, which had ballot access in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.[2] He received 33,136 votes in the general election, placing him eighth in the popular vote.

Democratic primary campaign

De La Fuente filed his candidacy for President of the United States with the Federal Election Commission as a Democrat. He identified himself as a progressive Democrat. He said that he was inspired to run after becoming dissatisfied with the slate of candidates, especially Donald Trump, whom he accused of alienating large segments of the population. On immigration, De La Fuente supported a path to citizenship and was against the wall proposed by Donald Trump.[3] [4]

De La Fuente subsequently has said that the reason he opted to seek the Democratic nomination, rather than the Republican nomination, is that he hoped that the Democratic primary's smaller field of candidates would make it easier for him to stand out.[5] The Republican party had 17 candidates, more than three times the number of major candidates who sought the Democratic nomination.

Below is a table of the results of primaries in which De La Fuente competed during the Democratic primaries. The total number of votes De La Fuente received can be found in the Votes column. The rank in which De La Fuente came among candidates/ballot options can be found in the Place column.

Primaries and Caucus Results
DateContestVotesPercentPlaceSources
Feb 9 96 0.04% 8th of 28 [6] [7]
818 0.20% 4th [8] [9]
14 5.91% 3rd [10]
1,684 0.76% 6th [11] [12]
1,545 0.13% 4th [13] [14]
53 0.03% 4th [15]
2,485 0.74% 7th [16] [17]
8,429 0.59% 3rd of 8 [18] [19]
March 1–8 6 0.02% 4th [20]
March 2 94 0.06% 4th [21] [22]
1,341 0.43% 8th of 10 [23] [24]
March 8 870 0.07% 4th [25] [26]
481 0.21% 5th [27] [28]
1,802 0.09% 6th [29] [30]
345 0.05% 6th of 9 [31] [32]
3,376 0.30% 4th [33] [34]
9,402 0.76% 3rd [35] [36]
March 22 2,797 0.60% 4th of 6 [37] [38]
4 0.02% 3rd [39] [40]
22 0.03% 3rd [41] [42]
March 26 1 0.01% 3rd [43] [44]
12 0.04% 3rd [45] [46]
April 5 18 0.00% 4th [47]
960 0.29% 3rd [48] [49]
1,024 1.09% 3rd [50] [51]
3,582 0.39% 3rd [52] [53]
14,439 0.86% 3rd [54] [55]
145 0.12% 4th [56] [57]
May 10 1010 0.40% 6th [58] [59]
May 17 1,594 0.35% 4th [60] [61]
June 5 391 0.44% 3rd [62]
8,453 0.16% 5th of 7 [63] [64]
June 14 213 0.22% 3rd [65] [66]
Total 67,457 0.22% 3rd of 33[67]

A. As a write-in.

Polls

De La Fuente was almost entirely excluded from polling for the Democratic Primary. However, he was included in three statewide polls.[68]

Texas Democratic Primary
University of Texas / Texas Tribune poll
(February 12–19, 2016)
CandidatePercent
Rocky De La Fuente1%
Hillary Clinton54%
Bernie Sanders44%
Martin O'Malley1%
Willie Wilson1%
Star Locke0%
Keith Judd0%
Calvin Hawes0%
Sample: 324 LV
Margin of error: 5.99%
North Carolina Democratic Primary
High Point University
(January 30-February 4, 2016)
CandidatePercent
Rocky De La Fuente0%
Hillary Clinton55%
Bernie Sanders29%
Martin O'Malley1%
Don't Know/Refused15%
Sample: 478 LV
Margin of error: 4.5%
New Hampshire Democratic Primary
Suffolk University poll
(January 19–21, 2016)
CandidateNumber of
respondents
Percent
Rocky De La Fuente10%
Bernie Sanders25050%
Hillary Clinton20741%
Undecided 326%
Martin O'Malley92%
Other10%
Total500100%
Sample: 500 LV
Margin of error: 4.4%

Third-party general election campaign

American Delta Party

American Delta Party
Position:Center
Country:United States
Abbreviation:ADP
Founder:Rocky De La Fuente
Membership Year:June 1, 2017
Seats1 Title:Seats in the Senate
Seats2 Title:Seats in the House
Seats3 Title:Governorships
Seats4 Title:State upper house seats
Seats5 Title:State lower house seats
Seats6 Title:Other elected offices
Membership:731 (Delaware)[69]

De La Fuente founded the American Delta Party leaving United out of its name as a vehicle to continue his campaign into the general election as a third-party candidate.[70] [71] [72] He was nominated as the party's presidential nominee. His running mate was Michael Steinberg of Florida.[73] On August 8, 2016, De La Fuente was named as the presidential nominee of the Reform Party.[74]

American Delta Party held its national convention on September 1, 2016, in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, and nominated Rocky De La Fuente to run in the United States presidential election representing his party. De La Fuente chose Michael Steinberg as his running mate.

Qualifications

De La Fuente gained ballot access to 147 electoral votes in 20 states (Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).[75] He qualified as a write-in candidate in Arizona, California, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Washington, and West Virginia.[76] [77] [78] [79]

Debates and forums

During his campaign for Democratic nomination, De La Fuente was not invited to any of the Democratic Party forums and debates. De La Fuente also did not qualify for any of the presidential debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. De La Fuente, however, was invited to and participated in the 2016 Free & Equal Elections debate.

After coming in fourth and winning no delegates in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries and after founding the American Delta Party as a vehicle to run for president of the United States with his running mate Michael Steinberg and as he lacked ballot access to the larger states, on October 25, 2016, he participated in a debate hosted by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation and debated against the Constitution Party candidate Darrell Castle and the Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate Gloria LaRiva.[80]

Polls

See main article: article and Statewide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2016.

De La Fuente's general election campaign was included in very few polls.

Nevada - Five-way race
Poll sourceDate administeredDelta%Democrat%Republican%Libertarian%IAPN (Constitution)%Lead marginSample sizeMargin of error
Suffolk[81] September 27–29, 2016Rocky De La Fuente1%Hillary Clinton align=center44%Donald Trump38%Gary Johnson7%Darrell Castle1% align=center6500± 4.4%
Suffolk [82] [83] [84] August 15–17, 2016Rocky De La Fuente1%Hillary Clinton align=center43.8%Donald Trump41.6%Gary Johnson4.8%Darrell Castle1% align=center2.2500± 4.4%

Election results

De La Fuente received 33,136 votes in the general election, earning him 0.02% of the total popular vote. He failed to win any electoral votes. In the popular vote De La Fuente placed eighth overall, behind the Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton, Republican Party's Donald Trump, Libertarian Party's Gary Johnson, Green Party's Jill Stein, independent Evan McMullin, Constitution Party's Darrell Castle, and Party for Socialism and Liberation's Gloria La Riva.[85] [86]

De La Fuente received more votes than any Reform Party presidential nominee since Ralph Nader's 2004 campaign.

Recount effort

See main article: article. On November 30 (in response to Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein's efforts to request recounts in Wisconsin and several other states which Donald Trump won) De La Fuente requested a partial-recount in Nevada (a state which Hillary Clinton won). He considered this effort to be a "counterbalance" at Stein's efforts. De La Fuente paid the $14,000 that was required for him to request for a recount to be held in a sample from 5% of state-precincts. Nevada's partial-recount was completed December 8, finding no significant discrepancies.[87] [88] [89] [90]

Campaign finances

Detailed below are the financial statements filled with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) of Rocky 2016 LLC as of November 28, 2016.[91]

Receipts
Financial SourceAmount (USD)
Federal Funds $0
Itemized Individual Contributions $13,156
Unitemized Individual Contributions $3,887
Total Individual Contributions $17,043
Party Committees Contributions $0
Other Committees Contributions $0
Candidate Contributions $0
Total Contributions $17,043
Transfers from Authorized Committees $0
Candidate Loans $7,855,009
Other Loans $0
Total Loans $7,855,009
Offsets to Operating Expenditures $0
Fundraising Offsets $0
Legal and Accounting Offsets $0
Total Offsets $0
Other Receipts $0
Total Receipts $7,855,009
Disbursements
DisbursementsAmount (USD)
Operating Expenditures $4,337,137
Transfers To Authorized Committees $0
Fundraising $3,146,674
Exempt Legal and Accounting $385,982
Candidate Loan Repayments $0
Other Loan Repayments $0
Individual Contribution Refunds $0
Political Party Contribution Refunds $0
Other Committee Contribution Refunds $0
Other Disbursements $0
Total Disbursements $7,869,794
Cash Summary
CategoryAmount (USD)
Beginning Cash On Hand $0
Current Cash On Hand $2,257
Net Contributions $17,043
Net Operating Expenditures $4,339,360
Debts/Loans Owed By Campaign $7,855,009
Debts/Loans Owed To Campaign $0

Endorsements

See also: Endorsements for the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016.

Activists

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Candidate and Committee Viewer. Federal Election Commission. May 27, 2016.
  2. Web site: Posted on . Reform Party Nominates Rocky De La Fuente for President | Ballot Access News . Ballot-access.org . 2016-08-09 . 2016-08-19.
  3. Web site: Peters. Xander. This guy plans to take on Rick Scott in Florida's GOP primary for Senate. 2021-03-28. Orlando Weekly. en.
  4. News: Bauer. Shane. 2020-07-02. What Is the Status of Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Wall'?. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-03-28. 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: Californian runs for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat — and Florida's, Hawaii's and Vermont's, too . Bittle . Matt . June 6, 2018 . www.delawarestatenews.net . Delaware State News . July 8, 2018 .
  6. Web site: New Hampshire Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  7. Web site: New Hampshire Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  8. Web site: Alabama Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  9. Web site: Alabama Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  10. Web site: American Samoa Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  11. Web site: Arkansas Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  12. Web site: Arkansas Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  13. Web site: Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  14. Web site: Massachusetts Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  15. Web site: Minnesota Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  16. Web site: Oklahoma Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  17. Web site: Oklahoma Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  18. Web site: Texas Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  19. Web site: Texas Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  20. Web site: Democrats Abroad Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  21. Web site: Vermont Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  22. Web site: Vermont Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  23. Web site: Louisiana Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  24. Web site: Louisiana Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  25. Web site: Michigan Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  26. Web site: Michigan Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  27. Web site: Mississippi Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  28. Web site: Mississippi Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  29. Web site: Illinois Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  30. Web site: Illinois Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  31. Web site: Missouri Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  32. Web site: Missouri Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  33. Web site: North Carolina Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  34. Web site: North Carolina Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  35. Web site: Ohio Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  36. Web site: Ohio Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  37. Web site: Arizona Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  38. Web site: Arizona Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  39. Web site: Idaho Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  40. Web site: Idaho Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  41. Web site: Utah Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  42. Web site: Utah Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  43. Web site: Alaska Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  44. Web site: Alaska Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  45. Web site: Hawaii Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  46. Web site: Hawaii Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  47. Web site: Wisconsin Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  48. Web site: Connecticut Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  49. Web site: Connecticut Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  50. Web site: Delaware Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  51. Web site: Delaware Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  52. Web site: Maryland Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  53. Web site: Maryland Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  54. Web site: Pennsylvania Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  55. Web site: Pennsylvania Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  56. Web site: Rhode Island Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  57. Web site: Rhode Island Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  58. Web site: West Virginia Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  59. Web site: West Virginia Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  60. Web site: Kentucky Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  61. Web site: Kentucky Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  62. Web site: Puerto Rico Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  63. Web site: California Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  64. Web site: California Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  65. Web site: District of Columbia Primary Election Results 2016: President . POLITICO LLC . politico.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  66. Web site: District of Columbia Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  67. Web site: Democratic Delegation 2016 . Richard E. . Berg-Andersson . Tony Roza . thegreenpapers.com . 2016 . September 24, 2016.
  68. Web site: Rocky De La Fuente Polls . . politico.com . . February 2, 2016.
  69. Web site: Delaware Registered Voters.
  70. Web site: Rocky De La Fuente Creates American Delta Party as Vehicle for his Presidential General Election Candidacy Ballot Access News . ballot-access.org . 2016-06-12.
  71. Web site: 2016 Presidential Hopefuls Grouped By Party . . The Green Papers . June 18, 2016 . Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente Guerra of California • FEC P60016342; 31 May 16; Tot $6,063,661; Dsb $6,060,216 • Declaration of Intent of Candidacy: Thursday 1 October 2015 • Campaign website: http://www.rocky2016.com/ • Address: SAN DIEGO, CA 92121. circa 10 June 2016: Created the American Delta Party..
  72. Web site: La campaña ignorada del tenaz 'Rocky' de la Fuente, el único hispano en la carrera por la Casa Blanca . Peinado . Fernando . June 3, 2016 . Univision . . June 18, 2016. es.
  73. Web site: Connecticut Invalidates Rocky De La Fuente Petition on the Mistaken Belief that the U.S. Constitution Does Not Permit Presidential Electors to Vote for Someone from the Same State for Both President and Vice-President Ballot Access News. ballot-access.org . 2016-07-20.
  74. Web site: Interview: Reform Party Secretary explains why Rocky De La Fuente was chosen as the party's nominee | American Third Party Report . https://web.archive.org/web/20160827171113/https://amthirdpartyreport.com/2016/08/09/interview-reform-party-secretary-explains-why-rocky-de-la-fuente-was-chosen-as-the-partys-nominee/ . dead . 2016-08-27 . Amthirdpartyreport.com . 2016-08-09 . 2016-08-19.
  75. Web site: Who is on the presidential ballot where? . Chris Powell . 2016-08-03 . 2016-09-09.
  76. Web site: 2016 General Election Information . apps.azsos.gov . 2016-10-03.
  77. Web site: State of Delaware Department of Elections . elections.delaware.gov . October 11, 2016.
  78. Web site: Indiana Secretary of State . www.in.gov . October 11, 2016 . October 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161012085247/http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/2016%20General%20Election%20Candidate%20Abbreviated%20List%2008%2022%2016.pdf . dead .
  79. Web site: Secretary of State of West Virginia . sos.wv.gov . October 11, 2016.
  80. Web site: 2016 Free and Equal Elections Presidential Debate Moderated by Ed Asner. YouTube.
  81. Web site: Rocky De La Fuente - Latest Polls and Approval Ratings. Election Hub.
  82. Web site: Nevada General Election August 18, 2016 Poll Documents. . August 18, 2016 . www.suffolk.edu . . August 18, 2016.
  83. Web site: Suffolk University Nevada Likely Voters August 2016 . . August 18, 2016 . www.suffolk.edu . . August 18, 2016 . August 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160827191701/http://www.suffolk.edu/documents/SUPRC/8_18_2016_Marginals.pdf . dead .
  84. Web site: 8_18_2016_x_tabs.pdf . . August 18, 2016 . www.suffolk.edu . . August 18, 2016.
  85. News: Leip . David . November 16, 2016 . 2016 Presidential General Election Results . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. . December 10, 2016.
  86. Web site: 2016 Presidential General Election Results.
  87. Web site: Here's the Latest in the Presidential Vote Recounts in 4 States. Fortune.com. December 5, 2016.
  88. News: Recount underway of some Nevada presidential ballots cast Nov. 8. Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 5, 2016.
  89. News: Partial recount of Nevadans' presidential ballots confirms Nov. 8 results. Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 8, 2016.
  90. News: Nevada ballot recount changes just 15 Trump, Clinton votes. Fox 5 KVVU-TV. December 8, 2016. December 10, 2016. December 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161221134247/http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/34011663/nevada-ballot-recount-changes-just-15-trump-clinton-votes. dead.
  91. Web site: Details for Candidate ID: P60016342 . Federal Election Commission . fec.gov . 2016 . December 9, 2016.
  92. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=226979080969303&id=142303999436812
  93. Web site: Uncovered Politics – Pope Francis Message Inspires Florida Peace Activist's Endorsement of Rocky de la Fuente.